The French women’s handball team miss the double. Beaten Sunday in the final of theEuro 2020 in Herning (Denmark), the Blues cede their European crown to Norway (20-22), who had not won a major title since Euro 2016 but who have been intractable throughout this competition.
Siraba Dembélé’s teammates therefore returned from Denmark with the silver medal around their necks and with a fifth international podium in six competitions since the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. Which is not nothing. And despite this ultimate defeat in the final, they definitely put behind them elimination from the first round suffered during the 2019 World Cup.
A big fight in the second half
Leading the first ten minutes of the meeting, the French came up against the Norwegian goalkeeper Solje Solbert (9 saves at 47% in the first period, 16 in total), accusing the break four goals behind (10-14).
Despite a very solid performance in defense and the remarkable entry of Cléopatre Darleux in the second half (8 saves), Olivier Krumbholz’s players gradually reduced the gap, until the equalization on a seven-meter throw from Grace Zaadi (50th, 17-17). Already sanctioned twice in the first period, the leader of the France team received a red card in the 56th, for bad change.
After a back-to-back fight, the Norwegians took two steps ahead in the 59th (22-20) before a final parade three seconds before the end of the match, as a symbol, of Cléopatre Darleux, elected best player of the match.
“The France team can be proud. They fought to the end, we came back well, we were mentally good, but we lacked ease in the attack placed […] Certainly the superior experience of the Norway team made the difference to contain the French assaults in the last ten minutes ”, reacted the French coach, Olivier Krumbholz, at the microphone of beIN Sports.
With this new international final, the fourth after the 2016 Olympics (silver), the 2017 World Cup (gold) and the Euro 2018 (gold), the French will now set out to conquer the Olympics next summer in Tokyo ( July 23-August 8, 2021) for the only title still missing from the list of Les Bleues.
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